Two good friends and experienced therapists explore the topics that were either shied away from or dismissed because they were too big, too nuanced, too risky, or too uncomfortable to address in school or even in supervision. We want to inspire and encourage therapists to think more deeply, show up more fully, and find humour and self-compassion in navigating the messier parts of being a therapist.
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Jordan Pickell Podcasts
Toxic family is real. Toxic parents are real. Smear campaigns are real. Toxic in-laws are real. You are not alone. On this podcast, you have a voice. On this podcast, Dr. Sherrie Campbell will help you learn more about your family dynamics, unconscious patterns that drive toxic human behavior, and ways to deal with your trauma. And most importantly, you will embark on a journey that will help you know yourself and love yourself more. Dr. Sherrie is a nationally recognized expert clinical psy ...
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Oversaturation: Graduate Programs and the Importance of Gatekeeping
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Welcome back for Season 9 of Edge of the Couch! And hello to those of you who might be just starting your grad programs and finding us for the first time. When we were in school, professors kept bringing up their concern that there was oversaturation in the field. So, we discuss this question: Is it true that there are too many therapists? That que…
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Letting Go of the Love You’ll Never Get: Breaking Free from Toxic Family Approval with Jacqueline Hurst (Bonus Episode 33)
44:34
44:34
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So many of us spend years, sometimes a lifetime, chasing love, validation, or approval from family members who will never give it. In this episode, we talk about how to see the pattern for what it is, why it’s so hard to stop, and what it really takes to walk away from the chase. In this episode, we will cover: 🍏 Why we keep returning to toxic or e…
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When Enough Is Enough: Breaking Free from Toxic Family Ties (Bonus Episode 32)
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58:48
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Have you ever felt like no matter what you did, it was never enough for your family? Have you carried the heavy burden of criticism, manipulation, or indifference, always trying to fix what you didn’t break, always hoping that one day your love would be enough to change them? Many survivors of toxic family dynamics wrestle with this painful reality…
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From Roles to Realness: Breaking Free from Family Scripts and Healing the Mind-Body Connection with Lauren Smallcomb (Bonus Episode 31)
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Living someone else’s script—performing the role your family assigned while quietly losing touch with who you are—makes the shift to authenticity not just an emotional transformation but a full-body reckoning. This episode explores the fall from “golden child” to scapegoat, the link between unresolved trauma and chronic illness, and how reclaiming …
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Breaking the Family Trance: Self-Differentiation, Enmeshment, and the Path Back to You with Jerry Wise (Bonus Episode 30)
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Have you ever felt like you're living in someone else’s life script—following invisible rules, walking on emotional eggshells, and carrying pain that doesn’t fully belong to you? Do you wonder why, even after cutting contact, your toxic family still seems to echo in your mind, body, or choices? Survivors of enmeshed, narcissistic, or otherwise toxi…
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Embodying Healing: The Mind-Body-Spirit Path Beyond Toxic Family Ties (Bonus Episode 29)
53:20
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Are you beginning to realize that your healing started the moment the noise stopped? The moment you cut ties with your family? If your healing journey has felt spiritual, psychological, and deeply physical all at once, it's because it should be. Spiritual teacher and empath mentor Jennifer Pilates, shares the embodied path of healing after cutting …
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Angie ADHD with Angie Hurlburt (Bonus Episode 28)
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Have you ever questioned whether your neurodivergence played a role in the trauma you endured—and perhaps even helped you escape it? Was it the trauma that caused the ADHD, or did the ADHD cause the trauma? In this powerful conversation, let's explore how living with undiagnosed ADHD made Angie, an ADHD coach and fellow survivor of a toxic family s…
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Toxic Mothers: Breaking Free, Setting Boundaries, and Healing the Daughter Wound (Bonus Episode 27)
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Has your relationship with your mother brought more pain than comfort? The mother wound is real, painful, and often invisible to outsiders—but healing is possible. Join me and Stephi as we unpack the deeply misunderstood journey of women who recognize the “mother wound”—emotional enmeshment, manipulation, and conditional love—and make the toughest …
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Untangling Enmeshment: From Family Loyalty to Emotional Freedom with Jordan Pickell (Bonus Episode 26)
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Have you ever felt responsible for a parent’s emotions—like it was your job to keep them happy, calm, or stable? Were you praised for being the “mature one,” even though you were silently falling apart inside? Do you ever struggle to know where your needs end and someone else’s begin? If so, you may have grown up enmeshed. In this episode, let's ex…
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When Jealous Moms Gossip, Boundaries Become Survival (Bonus Episode 25)
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In many toxic families, the scapegoat becomes the emotional and psychological sponge for everyone else’s dysfunction, pain, and projection. It’s a trauma-inducing role that is often misunderstood, dismissed, or mischaracterized as “drama.” But for those who live it, scapegoating is a profound and persistent form of psychological abuse. One of our b…
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In the final episode of the season, we revisit the topic of imposter syndrome. We talked about imposter syndrome in the very first episode of the podcast way back in 2021. How has our thinking about imposter syndrome evolved since then? In this episode, we explore what it looks like to own your experience as a therapist, even when there is still di…
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What do therapists mean when they say someone has a "victim mentality"? In this episode, we unpack this flippant term and explore what’s going on underneath it. We recognize that "victim mentality" is applied to several distinct phenomena. We discuss the difference between being an actual victim of harm, using "victimhood" as a protective defense, …
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The Cycle Breaker’s Journey: From Discard to Radical Acceptance with Taylor Damiani (Bonus Episode 24)
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You are more than a toxic family abuse survivor—you are a cycle breaker. And there is a powerful difference between the two. In this episode, find out what it means to move beyond the pain of being the “scapegoat” and step into the empowered identity of a “cycle breaker.” 🌱 What is a cycle breaker? 🌱 How each cycle breaker’s story is uniquely their…
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Have you ever found yourself being the villain in someone else’s story? In this episode, we talk about what it’s like to be perceived as "the bad guy." As therapists, we will get cast as the villain at some point. Our clients get cast as the bad guy in their other relationships. In some ways, it's inevitable. And not everyone gets a redemption arc.…
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Has another therapist ever told you, “You shouldn’t work harder than the client”? In this episode, we talk about what people really mean when they use this phrase. We unpack how privilege, trauma, the relationship, theoretical orientation, and modality all shape what “effort” really looks like in the therapy room. What do we lose when we expect the…
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Breaking Free from the No-Win Trap: How Toxic Families Twist Victimhood, Responsibility & Keep You Stuck (Bonus Episode 23)
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What happens when you’re raised to believe your worth depends entirely on your mother’s emotional comfort? Let's explore the insidious dynamics of covert narcissistic abuse, emotional enmeshment, victimhood, and the liberating power of estrangement. 🌿 the no win trap set by toxic mothers 🌿 the damaging power of the “victim role” 🌿 the “victim role”…
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You know those moments in session when something inside says, "Something just shifted", "Pause here", or "Hmm..this is not lining up"? In this episode, we dig into what it means to follow our therapist intuition. We talk about how intuition grows over time, how it shows up in the room, and how we tentatively introduce our impressions. What’s your r…
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In light of the recent mass killing at the Lapu Lapu Day festival in Vancouver, we decided not to publish an episode this week. We're honouring that our bodies need more time to grieve, recalibrate, and rest. We know many of you have also been impacted and we hope you're honouring your needs as well. Donate directly to families impacted. Join us on…
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Toxic Fathers and The Impacts of Parental Neglect with Dr. Jaime Zuckerman (Bonus Episode 22)
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For many daughters, the relationship with their father is the first blueprint for love, trust, and emotional safety. When that father is emotionally absent, narcissistic, or abusive, the wounds run deep. Listen in for a deeper conversation on healing from the complex and often unspoken impact of toxic fathers and parental neglect. 🌱 Understanding T…
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Are therapists who "call out" their clients more effective? This week, we’re responding to a Reddit post from a therapist who proudly claims to be a "mean therapist". They describe themselves as solution-focused, direct, and not afraid to hold clients accountable. We unpack what might be behind that identity, what types of therapists and settings t…
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All therapists miss essential information-- things like self-harm, abuse, and disordered eating. These can have major consequences. In this episode, we discuss what gets missed in the therapy room, why it happens, and what we can do about it. From clients showing up drunk in session to disclosures that slip past us, we explore the kinds of clinical…
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Tanya-Marie Dubé - Story of Survival (Bonus Episode 21)
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Survival isn’t just about enduring hardship—it’s about reclaiming your power, rewriting your story, and learning how to thrive in a world that may have once felt unsafe. If you're trying to navigate your trauma right now, this episode offers powerful insights on: 🌿Surviving multiple traumatic events from home life, to foster care, to homelessness 🌿…
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In this episode, we’re talking about a dynamic that (dare we say) all therapists are familiar with: working with clients who over-intellectualize. We explore why some clients show up to therapy in their heads while disconnected to their bodies and emotions, and how intellectualizing is both foundational and a block to good therapeutic work. We talk…
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Are we "treating" our clients, as in doing something *to* them, or *with* them? In this episode, we dig into situations where therapy aligns more closely with a medical model, and how we prefer to work using an open-ended approach. We discuss why therapy isn't always/only about alleviating suffering, but changing their relationship with it. You'll …
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Overcoming Childhood Trauma with Kevin Donaldson (Bonus Episode 20)
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Society expects them to be strong, stoic, and unshakable. But what happens when the weight of trauma becomes unbearable? What happens when the very qualities that make them resilient also become the barriers that keep them from healing? In this unfiltered conversation, retired police officer Kevin Donaldson sheds light on the silent struggles of me…
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Social media is one of the most impactful frontiers for therapists right now. So many questions are coming up for therapists at this time-- should I have social media at all? Should I market on social media? How much is too much to share? The internet is forever - what does that mean for me putting parts of my life online? In this episode, we discu…
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Celebrating Josh's New Book "It's Them, Not YOU" (Bonus Episode 19)
57:42
57:42
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Society tells us that family is everything—that blood is thicker than water. But what happens when that very bloodline is the source of deep emotional wounds? What happens when the people who are supposed to love and support you are the ones causing the most harm and abusing you? In this powerful conversation, Josh Connolly shares about the harsh s…
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Every therapist has been there. You’re in session and suddenly something your client says hits a nerve. Maybe it’s a detail in their story that pulls up your own history or something about their client presentation you can't quite put your finger on. In this episode, we dig into what happens when something comes up in session that feels like being …
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Defining & Refining Your Authentic Self After Toxic Family Dynamics with Cari Fund (Bonus Episode 18)
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If you have endured the emotional wounds of toxic parenting and are ready to step into your power, this episode is for you. Cari Fund shares her story and the critical importance of choice, the liberating power of boundaries, and the redemption found in becoming the person your parents could never be. 🌿 Defining moment and experiences that inspire …
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Supervision and consultation are a core part of being a therapist, whether in practicum, newly graduated, or a decade into practice (and beyond). In this episode, we discuss how to get the most out of supervision, like bringing a list, not fixating on every misstep, and sharing the messy parts of your work, ensuring that any supervision conversatio…
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Trends in the therapy world come and go. Girl-bossing, therapists-as-content-creators, and now “the cool therapist”. Maybe you’ve seen the same “cool therapist” stuff we have - acting like new therapists are scared of everything, making skits or memes about disregarding ethical considerations, and acting like following thoughtful rules is somehow s…
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Redecorating Your Life After Toxic Family with Jeanne Collins (Bonus Episode 17)
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For those who have left toxic relationships, whether familial or romantic, curating a space that feels safe, nurturing, and reflective of one's authentic self is essential. The way we design our homes, organize our surroundings, and incorporate elements that bring us peace can be an act of self-love and reparenting, providing the stability we may h…
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This is the most intense political landscape that we’ve ever experienced as therapists. Many of our clients are also hugely impacted by policies being enacted and fear is a common feeling for both therapists and clients alike. The focus of the episode is how to talk to clients about politics when it comes up in session because we know it can feel s…
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